Dr. Connie Woo obtained her Bachelor Degree in Pharmacy from the Ohio State University in United States, and registered as a pharmacist in Canada and Hong Kong. She completed her MPhil in pharmacology at the University of Hong Kong and PhD in physiology at University of Manitoba in Canada. She then received her postdoctoral training at Division Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Columbia University in New York City, Her research work has been published in several top-ranked journals including Nature Cell Biology. She joined the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, HKU in Nov 2013.

Dr. Connie Woo and her research associates

Memberships

Registered Pharmacist, Ontario College of Pharmacy (Canada)

Registered Pharmacist, Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong

Co-investigator, The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology

Member, Research Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone and Healthy Aging, University of Hong Kong (HBHA), HKU

Member, American Physiological Society

Fellow of the American Heart Association

Member, Canadian Society of Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology

Honours and Awards

Fellow of the American Heart Association (2017)

Faculty Research Output Prize, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine (2017)

Canadian Institutes of Health Research Fellowship (2010-2011)

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Research Fellowship (2009-2011)

Edwin Kroeger Award for Excellence in Cellular Physiology, University of Manitoba (2007)

Immunometabolism: Local and systemic inflammation is commonly found in many chronic diseases, and metabolic stress appears to be the trigger of these kinds of non-infectious inflammation. Toll like receptor family (TLR) is a group of sensors detecting different kinds of microbes and their products including endotoxin and flagellin, resulting in stimulation of immune response. Many studies have reported the significant roles of different TLRs in these chronic diseases. In spite of their immune-originality, TLRs are present in non-immune cells; however, the function of TLR signaling pathway in these cells is not clear. Our laboratory is interested in the nonconventional TLR function with particularly focusing on the cytosolic adaptor of TLR pathway: TIR-domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-β (TRIF). TRIF is responsible for interferons production and transducing signal of TLR3 and TLR4.

Gut microbiota: Gut microbiota refers to trillions of commensal bacteria embedded in our gastrointestinal tract, which plays a mutualistic role to us host. The evolutionary purpose of gut microbiota is to increase the capacity of extracting energy from diet and assisting in energy utilization. Alteration of gut microbiota pattern and composition is observed in metabolic disorders, for example, in obesity, the gut microbiota switches from Bacteroidetes-dominant to Firmicutes-dominant. Antibiotics, supplements like probiotics and prebiotics all can interfere the population of gut microbiota. Many strains of the gut microbiota are flagellated. Flagellin can be released from these bacteria and activate TLR5. Another area of study in our laboratory focuses on the role of TLR5 in metabolic function and metabolic stress-induced inflammation.

Non-classical function of TLR: TLR is a human homolog of Toll which was originally found in the fat-body cells of Drosophila. The fat-body cells of Drosophila function similarly to the liver and adipose tissue of human, which are responsible to the energy storage and utilization. Toll in Drosophila not only possesses antimicrobial effects but also regulates embryogenesis. These metabolic- and embryogenetic- related functions of TLR appear to be sophistically hidden during evolution. Our team is also interested in the study of TLR from such perspective.

Luciferase expression in liver after hydrodynamic injection of a specific plasmid.

Seeking full-time MPhil/PhD candidates

We are seeking highly organized and motivated MPhil/PhD candidates for research in the area of immunometabolism, gut microbiota, atherosclerosis and drug metabolism. If students plan to apply PhD program, experience in the cardiovascular or metabolic research is required. Further information, please email Dr. Connie Woo with your CV (email: cwhwoo@hku.hk).

Current and Previous Lab Members

Mr. Jensen Yiu (PhD candidate)

Mr. William Fung (MPhil candidate)

Miss Jamie Cheung (MPhil candidate)

Mr Leigang Jin (PhD candidate)

Miss Jin Li (PhD, graduated)

Miss Jing Chen (MPhil, graduated)

Miss Yushi Mao (MMedSc, graduated)

Research Collaborators

Professor Aimin Xu, Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology & Pharmacy, the University of Hong Kong